The three Iranian nationals accused of spying on behalf of Tehran amid a counter-terrorism probe reportedly entered the United Kingdom illegally before applying for asylum.
On Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said that it has charged Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, with “engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service” (Iran) between August of last year to February of this year.
According to a report from The Telegraph, which cited an unnamed prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the three individuals arrived in the UK illegally via migrant boats over the English Channel and on the back of lorries. Upon reaching Britain, the suspected spies applied for asylum.
The report claimed that the court heard that Mr Sepahvand clandestinely entered the UK on the back of a lorry in 2016 before seeking asylum over alleged religious persecution in his homeland of Iran.
Mr Manesh, who reportedly illegally landed on British shores after crossing the Channel illegally in a small boat in December of 2019, also claimed asylum on religious grounds.
Finally, Mr Noori is reported to have first come into contact with police in 2022 after entering the country illegally, after which he also applied for asylum. All three were reportedly granted leave to remain in the country while their asylum claims were being processed.
Their alleged illegaly entries into the UK were also reported by the BBC and Sky News.
The three Iranians have been remanded to custody and are expected to appear before the Old Bailey court next month when they will face charges of violating the National Security Act.
In addition to being accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service, Sepahvand was also charged with conducting surveillance with the aim of committing violence against journalists at the London-based Iran International media outlet, the BBC reports.
Manesh and Noori were also charged with engaging in surveillance to assist others in committing violence against people in the UK.
On Saturday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that the government plans on strengthening its terrorism powers in light of the arrests.
“The charges that have been laid against these three individuals must now take their course through the criminal justice system and nothing must be done to prejudice the outcome of those proceedings,” she said.
“But we will also take separate action to address the very serious wider issues raised by this case…We must also strengthen our powers to protect our national security as we will not tolerate growing state threats on our soil.”
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